To Love A Beast

Garden Of Beauty And Brooding Idiots, Apparently

This chapter is dedicated to DmarieMcD for being the first to vote for my story! Thanks girl! x

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My stomach was so full, I thought it would surely explode. I really shouldn't have forced that fourth slice of pizza. I thought, holding my stomach.

I was wondering in the garden, the girls in Dani's room; coming off the high of playing hairdressers with Malia. We had just spent an hour living up to all the sleep-over clichés: painting nails, talking about boys and messing about with each other's hair. At that point in the evening, Malia had come in and pleaded with us to let her play too. Of course, how could anyone deny that cute chubby cheeked face pleading up at us as if we held her favourite teddy bear hostage.

After what felt like five hours, but was probably only two, Lorna had come in to take Malia to bed. Bless her, she was already half asleep. Sitting with legs crossed on the floor she had insisted that she wasn't sleepy as she swayed back and forth, her eyes drooping and her messy mop of blonde ringlets flopping in front of her face.

After she left, Dani had retrieved her collection of Teen Wolf DVD's and she and Ash had snuggled onto Dani's bed to watch it. I hadn't stayed though. It had gotten to the point where I had a severe headache brewing from the hair pulling and I felt like I couldn't breathe from all the hairspray in the room. I figured this would be a good time as any to explore, and so here I am.

I Explored the outside of the house first. It was like something from the 1800's. A straight gravel drive parted the trees to make way for a huge pearly white plantation house. The house was three stories. Four pillars stood tall and proud outside, flanking an incredible broad oak door. As you neared it, you could make out various carvings in the dark wood at the centre. The carvings were of a pack of wolves gathered in a clearing, surrounded by trees. It was beautiful, I'd never seen anything like it before.

I strolled around the side of the house where the pool was and made my way to the garden, which was also beautiful. It seemed that every flower in existence grew out here, and in every colour of the rainbow. The sweet aroma filled my nose as I took a deep breath. The flowers roamed on both sides of a stone pathway which wound its way around the garden and circled a large stone water fountain. A little ways beyond that there was a lake, large enough to probably fit a small boat on it. The water glistened in the late moonlight, the stars reflecting off the water and sparkling like glitter. My amazement only grew as I took in the short wooden pier that travelled to the centre of the lake, where a beautiful white gazebo stood. I gasped in surprise at what I saw. It was like something from a fairy-tale. Vines twisted and knotted around the entire structure which stood overlooking the lake. It was indescribable. Large pale green lily pads floated on the water's surface, bobbing around the gazebo. Gentle waves caused by a stray breeze pushed lightly against the sides in a sweet kiss.

I felt calm here, safe. I knew just by spending ten minutes out here that it was going to be one of my favourite places.

You know when you get the feeling that your not alone? The skin on the back of your neck tingles as if someone was staring a hole into your back. You can almost hear a kind of feint white noise in your ears as they strain to pick up any sound. Well, that's what was currently happening to me right now.

I stayed completely still as my eyes roved the garden in front of me, even though I was pretty sure that whoever it was, was behind me. Unless I was just being paranoid and freaking myself out for no reason. Yeah, that's what it is. Being paranoid. It's all those TV shows you watch, Alexis, playing with your mind. Nothing to worry about. There's no one out here but you and good old mother nature-